House Citadel (Prequel)
House Citadel prides themselves on many things. Knowledge. Scholarship, Strength, Fortitude. It is said that Citadel was named for their endurance. 'Fortresses of Emotion and wrongdoing,' this house can withstand anything. Below is a bit of information unpacking the story of the Citadels, as well as NPCs and other information you might require. History When the First Schism took place, the following of people that would be eventually known as the founders of House Citadel took to the east. They were bound by their fascination with Time. They wanted to understand more of the past, so that it could enrich their present, and the future of their legacies. The Xenocide is directly attributed to the actions of Alesis Citadel, after slaying them and bringing few survivors back. The House has had a long past of subterfuge inside Indrexu, but with the formation of House Lang, Citadel wished to keep their own actions buried in the past. Instead, they wished to adopt a visage of true neutrality of justice, and upheaval of the law. Some from Citadel have fanatically fantasized the concept of a full continent takeover, citing that Citadel could find order where Indrexu failed, but the military and leadership both agree an attempt like that would be certain suicide. The House now continues to slowly grow its powerbase, and has enjoyed a stream of immigrants from other Houses, who it receives graciously but cautiously, always suspicious of sabotage. Those who prove themselves however, are given the graces and benefits of the elites. This is the second generation of House elites, with the current Matriarch being the founding one, and the current Patriarch being the second of the role. the House continues to flourish now, but the fortifications of other houses has made the Citadellion Aristocracy antsy. For now, they are merely waiting to react. Niches of the House Nobility The Nobility and leadership of the house form a Monarchy of Sorts. There is a Lord Patriarch (Erasis), and a Lord Matriarch (Xyp'sis), who rule jointly. Below them are immediate family members, who often compose high ranks in the others subsects of Citadel. As of right now, the nobility includes Xyp'sis, Erasis, Alesis, Secare, and Quem. They do not have titles for nobility, save for the Matriarch and Patriarch. Watchers The Watchers are an organization dedicated to surveillance and subterfuge. Founded and still lead by Secare Citadel himself, the watchers often emulate tactics of their hated foe House Lang, but are adept at scapegoating their seedier actions on others. Secare himself prefers to handle affairs legit, but will bend the rules a bit, if results will be achieved. As of right now, most watchers are on patrol and spy missions, or aiding in the eternal advancement of security in the house. Titles, in ascending order are: Watcher, Advanced Watcher, Elite Watcher, Grand Watcher. Blade Guardians Lead by Servosis, the Blade Guardians are older than Citadel, and are a remnant of the House Indrexu hierarchy. it is said the leader of this subsect wields a sacred holy Polesaber, gifted to the guardians by Alesis. Not all houses retain Blade Guardians still, opting for other honor codes, but the Houses that have done little alteration to the code of the Guardians. Blade Guardians are tanks in their own right, but also deft and known for their valor and sacrifice. Titles, in ascending order are: Blade Adept, Blade Guardian, Blade Vanguard, Blade's Chosen, Blade Guardian Commander. Bloodmasters Lead by Kraar-Vuun, Bloodmasters are the evolution of the Blood Zealots that Alesis faced twenty years ago. They have a knack for understanding the blood of their enemies, and find friends in House Athan easily. Bloodmasters do not get along with the other subsects, not for lack of trying. Many other disciplines see them as abominations that Alesis should never have fostered. Titles, in ascending order are: Blood Acolyte, Blood Reaper, Blood Kinetic, Bloodmagi. Seekers Lead by Quem Citadel, Seekers serve as anthropologists, Archeologists, explorers, and often adventuers. They weave tales of fame and fortune and are often the poster children of House Citadel. They are like your canon astronauts, that everyone wants to be, with only limited membership of twenty devotees. Titles, in ascending order are: Seeker, Advanced Seeker, Elite Seeker, Grand Seeker Citadellion Witches Zelenix's loose coven of magician's is quite the spectacle. Though they have been employed in past to work together, witches rarely meet, except to train, or report to hierarchies. So long as no one steps on anyone else's toes, people are overall amenable to others witches presences, but in Zelenix's court, anything goes. Titles, in ascending order are: Ritualist, Adept, Zealot, Dar'jett'i, High Sorceress Military The Citadellion Military is perhaps the most whipped into shape, order, and fear of its leader, Alesis Citadel. the warlord who took down the zealots is somewhat of a fable before his men, and he has bene known to make extreme example of traitors in his ranks. But for those who follow him, Alesis inspires a fierce loyalty and brilliant tactics that play out in the battlefield like eloquent dances from House Panteer. Titles, in ascending order are: Private, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Major, Captain, General, Supreme General '' Heralds Heralds are composed of what House Citadel would define as its religious clergy. They maintain the holy grounds and temples, and are responsible for any official ceremony of ascension or rank within the monarchy. They split into six main factions, one for Each High Gatekeeper. There is little dispute over dogmas with other Gatekeepers, all Heralds grow up learning intensely the lore of their mythos, and then are chosen in ritual to service of just one of the Six. Sometimes, Heralds specialize further, and serve a Lesser Gatekeeper as well. There is no one leader of this sect, but there are six main leaders, called Harbingers, that serve as almost divine channels of their Gatekeeper's will. Titles, in ascending order are: ''Altar-Keeper, Minister, Herald, High Herald, Harbinger. Commonfolk The rest of Citadel compose people whose jobs are a part of everyday. Builders, townsfolk, small politicians, barkeepers all compose this aspect of the might of Citadel. Every individual has a place in Citadel, and a belief in meritocracy means that it is possible for these layman to rise up to higher power, if they take the risk, and possibly sacrifice. Symbols and Regalia * The Emblem of House Citadel '''is Denoted with two red lines, palm branch crossed with a whip, and a polesaber. The ''red lines ''represent the house's connection to the victory over the Blood Zealots. The ''palm branch ''represents peace and diplomacy. The ''whip ''represents individuality and strength of merit, and the ''polesaber ''represents a respect for history and the past. This emblem is flown on flags, displayed on thrones, and part of every insignia. * '''The Colors of House Citadel '''are White, Gold, and Crimson, with accents of Gray and Pink. * The Nobility of House Citadel prefers '''androgynous expressions '''in terms of clothing and tire. Many have intense beauty routines and focus on grace and elegance in the way they present. They are all famous for the annual ''CTB (or Cape Train Ball), ''in which the treasury is supported by gifts from around the Spiral in exchange for a night of extravagance and extra fabric. * '''The Chosen Animal of the House is the Faerie Dragon. Many Citadellion spellcasters choose this creature as their familiar. * The Honorific Moniker 'is the suffix ''-sis. Any individual with this suffix has received high honor in House Citadel. This can be due to noble blood, valorous actions, or any other action the Matriarch and Patriarch deem worthy. Only they may bestow the honor. * 'The Naming in House Citadel '''is simplistic. All Citadels share the same last name. First name is chosen by parents, and the middle name serves a surname. Most families middle names are misnomers of a trait the family possesses. Examples are ''Xenos, Phobis, Ravathon. Interactions with the Other House 'House Besilisk ' The overall peaceful demeanor of Besilisk leads Citadel to see Besilisk as little to no threat. However Besilisk's approval of House Lang has been a thorn that Citadel has grown tired of overlooking. The close proximity to Citadel means that the two Houses interact often, and as such they maintain at least professional cordiality. 'House Celestus ' The visions and interpretations of Celestus make them one of Citadel's greatest allies. While other houses grow tired of the seers' musings, Citadel finds value in every grain of wisdom from the lips of Celestus. The Houses current endeavor is a joint research project on understanding the Gatekeeper Relics of old. This project is spearheaded by the Seekers, Quem especially. 'House Roderick ' Citadel is such a kiss-ass to Roderick. The funny part is, Roderick kind of doesn't want the help. Citadel insists though. So Roderick slowly just allowed it to happen, and now the two houses have one of the strongest joint defense patterns in the Spiral. Also, they have been known to possess considerable influence in the House of Lords, whixch allows the pair of Houses to dominate many discussions. 'House Occulus ' Occulus and Citadel are two scholarly peas in a pod. They want to learn more together. They inspire each other further to seek out more secrets within the Spiral. The Two houses also have an unheard of library loaning system, facilitated via flying traveling birds. 'House Lang ' Citadel despises those of House Lang. They are quiet and shadowy, and refuse to be direct in dealing with any House. Citadel finds this annoying and dishonorable. Open warfare would have bene a better way to go about this level of moral evil. 'House Valenn ' Citadel is neutral towards Valenn. They share a vision of emigration of the Spiral outwards, and have sent some of their own convoys to assist Valenn. Quem hass personally gone on one of these expeditions, earning a high degree of respect among the bird-folk. 'House Vynstryker ' Vynstryker stands as Citadel's main threat to peace. if they had their way, Erasis and Xyp'm would see to it that Vynstryker was exiled. Alesis however, seems personally intrigued by Vynstryker, and has sent scouts to explore their mechanics, and have tried to accrue Jagganeth pointas 'House Athan ' Athan's Witches often mingle with those of Citadel. The Septis Mirtis are fond of multiple members of House Citadel, Especially Zelenix, formerly one of their own. The covens often share spells, rituals, and intimacy in the dark and light arts. 'House Kaldar ' Kaldar may be smart and resourceful, but their interactions with Vynstryker earn Citadels ire. Once again though, Alesis is interested in their technology for his own purposes. '''House Panteer Panteer is not only Citadel's main source of entertainment, they are often enlisted for infrastructure improvments on the palace grounds and other areas. Panteer is often delighted to find ancient archeological finds buried within Citadel's archives, including ancient art and poetry. House Mattaki ' The Savagery of the Mattaki discourages Citadel to venture to the north. Citadel feels it best to leave Mattaki alone, and Mattaki does the same in return. Notable Members of the House ۞ Denotes a Member of the House's Nobility.'' * '''Lord Patriarch Erasis Citadel ۞ : Male Human Ruler of the House of Citadel. Middle-aged, specializes in Wizardry. A Gentle soul. * Lady Matriarch Xyp'sis Citadel ۞ : Female Elvish Ruler of the House of Citadel. Likely in her hundreds. Erasis is her second husband. Known to be cruel to those who displease her, and sweet as honey to those who do Citadel proud. A Warlock, with the High Gatekeeper Nature as her Patron. * Grand Watcher Secare Citadel ۞ : The Half-elfLeader of the covert specialists known as the Watchers. Son of the Patriarch and younger brother to Quem and Alesis. Expert Ranger. * Quem Aquinos Citadel, Grand Seeker ۞ : The eldest brother of the Half-elf Citadel heirs, Quem is known as the kindest. Beloved by all of House Citadel, and nearly elevated to god-like status. Constantly exploring and negotiating with the other houses. Fighter and Cleric, sworn to the High Gatekeeper Fate. * Supreme General Alesis Xenos Citadel ۞ : The Human Warlord of Citadel, Honored for his valor in the Xenocide against the Blood Zealots. Now oversees defense and military maneuvers, as well as assisting Roderick representatives in the House of Lords. Sorcereror and Blood Hunter. * Blade Guardian Commander Servosis Citadel : The current Dragonborn leader of the Blade Guardians. The name is honorary, but Servosis is a man of strict code, values, and oath. Holy Paladin, sworn to the High Gatekeeper Time. * Bloodmagi Kraar-Vuun : An outspoken Tiefling convert from the Xenocide, spared by Alesis to train the house in the art of the Blood Zealots. Now Leads the Bloodmasters onwards, though mostly in secret, and away form the other Niche's of Citadel. * High Sorceress Zelenix : Originally from House Athan, Zelenix is fiery young drow elf woman with green hair and a crazy cackle. Specializes in evocation and conjuration magics.